State Rep. Parker Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs, today issued the following statement urging the Michigan state Senate to approve legislation to protect and maintain reliable and affordable energy production in the Upper Peninsula. The plan would ensure the continued operation of the U.P.’s 13 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) generators. Without imminent legislative intervention, the generators will soon be shut down due to new green energy mandates, leading to massive energy bill hikes for residents and businesses alike.

“The Senate must do the right thing and pass the U.P. energy protection plan before it’s too late. Without these RICE generators, the U.P. faces a collapse in every facet of daily life. Energy bills will skyrocket, leading businesses to close. When people lose jobs, they will most certainly leave. That mass exodus will leave schools and broader communities as shells of their former selves. Without reliable energy production, the U.P. will become a ghost peninsula.

“The Michigan Public Service Commission has even cited the effectiveness of the RICE units working in conjunction with a renewable energy portfolio due to the short time it takes the plants to ramp up and generate energy, helping to quickly make up for any energy shortfall. These RICE units are essential to U.P. energy production, and they must be allowed to stay online until the end of their lifecycle in 2049.”

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